


Facade

by avellere



Category: Ben 10
Genre: Comfort, Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-13
Updated: 2010-11-13
Packaged: 2017-10-14 23:27:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/154642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avellere/pseuds/avellere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[Drabble] [Epilogue to The Forge of Creation] Not everything is a game to him, and he knows that better than anyone but himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Facade

"You didn't have to tell them."

Green eyes glanced up at the teenager beside him. Even after six years, he looked exactly the same; with the familiar haircut he wore now and thin, lanky body. His outfit had changed slightly, the black-and-white shirt exchanged for an ebony one, an emerald jacket stretched tight over his shoulders. His eyes were completely different, though—they were darker, angrier, more _mature_ , he guessed. The light that flared within them no longer came from the thrill of battle, but the resolve to help people, save lives. That, he supposed, came from the experiences he had faced, and those he had yet to face.

Still, this wasn't what he had in mind when he imagined himself in the future. More muscular, maybe, and a bit taller. Kicking his legs back and forth over the edge of the bench, he muttered sullenly, "It doesn't matter. They would have found out eventually."

Now it was his turn to study the boy. Taking another sip of the smoothie clutched in his hands—Cranberry mixed with carrot and chocolate—he considered the words carefully, taking in his disheveled appearance, the mussed brown hair and bright lime orbs. His gaze then flickered to the azure sky and its pure white clouds, endlessly blue and lifeless. Such beauty…and such contrast.

"Maybe. But that still doesn't mean they had to know."

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story came from the conversation between ten-year-old Ben, Gwen, and Kevin on the ship about his role as a hero in _The Forge of Creation_. His younger self said he treated everything as a big joke in order to "do what I need to do". This struck me as something completely unexpected and made me think about character depth and development in the series: The fact that he uses arrogance and conceit (as well as obnoxiousness) to hide his real feelings about saving the universe was something I hadn't realized before. And from older Ben's offhand reply to his cousin's question, he wasn't too happy sharing this with his teammates, less so when brought up by his younger self.
> 
> If there had been a chance for the two Tennysons to talk after the battle, I figured the older version would have confronted him about it. But since younger Ben had his memories erased, this fic can be read as part of an AU instead. In any case, last night's episode prompted me to write this and see how both Bens would react.


End file.
